I’m a graduate from the University of Glasgow with a degree in Sociology with Quantitative methods who’s currently undertaking a Masters degree in Social Research at the University of Sheffield. I work as a freelance consultant for the Scottish Human Rights Commission and have ambitions to peruse more research based work in the future particularly focusing on human rights, gender, sexuality and equality in general. When I can I volunteer usually with the student led charity Sexpression, with whom I go into schools/youth groups and teach young people about sex and relationships, or on various LGBTQ+ projects. I also sometimes do freelance art work usually focusing on drawing various parts of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Which young Scot inspires you?Mhairi Black is easily the most inspiring young Scot I know of. Her dedication to her constituents and her fresh attitude to politics is an inspiration. When she became the youngest MP in 2015 at the age of 20 she showed that young people with a fresh approach who challenge inequalities can succeed in Scotland.

What is the best thing about growing up in Scotland?The Scottish sense of humour and ability to laugh at ourselves is probably my favourite thing about growing up in Scotland. most like the friendly culture.

What would you most like people from older generations to know about young people?I would want the older generation to know, particularly the older LGBTQ+ generation, that I value you and that young people today are able to live a better more open life because of you.

What is your biggest achievement to date?Achieving a first class honours degree from the University of Glasgow. This is important to me for various reason such as the fact that I was part of the first class of students to graduate from the Q-step course at the University of Glasgow and that I’m one of the first people in my family to attend university at all. Being a dyslexic, working class student who wasn’t able to get through a book by themselves until around the age of 13 I never would have thought I would have done so well. I also had no clue until I started university that I could study something I enjoy and find as important as the topic of sex and relationship education for LGBT young people which is what my dissertation was on.

What would you most like to achieve in the future?For many of the same reasons as why my undergraduate mattered so much to me I would love to get a PhD, hopefully with a focus on gender and/or sexuality.

What message would you like to give to other young people in Scotland?I’m a strong believer of “fake it till you make it” because if my attitude to stuff hadn’t been that there is no way I would have had half of the fantastic opportunities that I have.

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